Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Oh sure, there’s an argument to be made that Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War are the better games to include here, considering how much of their presentation is lifted from the Peter Jackson films. However, I’d argue for a more unique experience, look no further than The Third Age. As literally anyone who plays it for five minutes can tell you, the game is basically just Final Fantasy X in Middle Earth. Thing is, what seemed like a derivative choice in 2004 feels far more novel in 2024. The story, with a kind of parallel Fellowship ensuring the A-team gets to Mount Doom, runs roughshod over the established canon, but the group’s backstories are all solid enough to maintain interest for the entire play time, and hey, least they don’t do anything too stupid like, say, oh, idk, for instance, make Shelob a goth baddie, or make the last thicc female Ent fight a Balrog.
